Dear Audience, A voice like Mahalia Jackson comes not once in a century, but once in a millennium. Today her voice and the work she did to obtain equal rights for black and white people still is the story of legend. We hope that in some small way we are able to bring this story, The Mahalia Jackson Musical, to people who may not be familiar with her singing and that they understand the significant contribution she made to the world. Roger Peace 4
Notes on Mahalia Jackson 1911-1926: Early Life in New Orleans Born in 1911 in New Orleans, Mahalia Jackson grew up in a shotgun home shared by 13 people, in the care of her aunt following the death of her mother. Economic circumstances forced Jackson to quit school and go to work at a young age. Her earliest influences were in Uptown New Orleans: hot jazz bands, the beat-driven music of the Sanctified Church, and Bessie Smith’s bluesy voice. But Jackson’s greatest inspiration was at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, where she sang six times a week. 1927-1936: Life in Chicago Like many African Americans at that time, Jackson moved north to Chicago with her aunt at the age of 16, hoping for better opportunities. She joined the Greater Salem Baptist Church once she arrived, and began touring with the Johnson Brothers, Chicago’s first professional gospel group. During this period, Jackson made a vow that she would live a pure life, free of secular entertainment. She promised to use her voice exclusively for spiritual music — a promise that she kept. 1937-1946: Early Success By 1937, Jackson had made her first set of recordings with Decca Records, but refused to make a blues record, remembering her pledge to sing only gospel music. She lost her contract with Decca as a result. Gospel music was becoming popular in Chicago churches, and Jackson was building a community of gospel musicians. Among these was Thomas Dorsey, a talented Atlanta-born African American composer and pianist. He chose Jackson out of all the singers in Chicago to be his partner, and, as a traveling act, the two ushered in the Golden Age of Gospel. 1947-1956: Radio, Television and Tours In 1948, Mahalia Jackson recorded “Move On Up a Little Higher” for Apollo Records, selling one million copies in the United States. With her riveting contralto, Jackson was as captivating as popular blues singers, and gospel’s bouncing beat proved just as danceable, even for audiences outside of church. Amidst a constant battle with racism and segregation, especially in the South, she still earned hundreds of dollars for a single concert. In 1950, she was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall at the First Negro Gospel Music Festival, a monumental event in the history of gospel music. 1957-1960: The Queen of Gospel Jackson found mainstream success in the late ‘50s, touring the world and recording several successful albums for Columbia. Though television networks would not grant her a show of her own, Jackson did appear as a guest on many “white” variety shows including those hosted by Dinah Shore, Steve Allen, and Ed Sullivan. By 1960, Jackson was an international star. Her congregational call-and-response style, combined with her soulful, voluminous voice, made gospel music popular all over the world. But back home, Jackson’s financial success brought racist backlash, and her personal safety was often threatened. 1961-1968: Fight for Civil Rights Mahalia Jackson’s struggle with racism had urged her to get involved in the Civil Rights movement at its onset. As early as 1956, Civil Rights leaders called on Jackson to lend both her powerful voice and financial support to the rallies, marches, and demonstrations. While lending her support to boycott leader Reverend Ralph Abernathy, she met a young preacher named Martin Luther King, Jr., whose speeches inspired Jackson, and they became friends. 1969-1972: Final Years By 1969, with Kennedy, King, and many of her other contemporaries deceased, Jackson had retired from the political front. She had battled illness for years. Still touring almost to the end, she visited Africa, the Caribbean, Japan, and India, where she met Indira Ghandi, an instant fan. Jackson’s final performance was in Germany in 1971. Soon after an operation on her abdomen, she died of heart failure in January 1972, at the age of 60. Mahalia Jackson received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1972 and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. 5
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